Often Irreverent, Mostly Rational Blog for Fans of the Toronto Blue Jays. One Day, We'll Be Perfect.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Friday Rock Out - By popular demand

If there's one thing we've come to understand about this blog, it's that you give the people what they want.

Jet!

Speaking of giving the people what they wantWe're of the opinion that the news this week that Paul Beeston will take on the President and CEO role for the next three years will actually result in the three things that would make us happiest: A larger budget, new uniforms and a new manager.

With the manager, we get that Beeston is a good pal of Cito's and defended him at the end of the year. But it seems that it is Beeston's nature to calm the waters in those instances. With Beeston working with the "newish" front office, we could see him casting his gaze towards the future, and asking his pal to work as a ceremonial advisor to Anthopoulos and Tony LaCava. Cito really doesn't seem to have any aspirations beyond next year, and he seemed to be getting much less enjoyment out of the position this year than he did in his triumphant return the previous year. (Which is probably a function of winning...but still.)

And by the way: How awesome is it that the Jays retained LaCava? It hasn't been mentioned that much since the reworking of the management team, but it was a pretty important move in our view. Frankly, we could have seen him take over the GM job, but to have him there as the Ant's right hand man let's us sleep a little bit easier at night.

Also, we couldn't imagine that the Beest is going to let the idiotic Godfrey black cap legacy live on beyond the coming season. Even if it means a nostalgic return to the 92-93 era unis, we'd be happy. Anything that helps us ditch the black is a good thing.

Honestly, if clearing the payroll decks in '10 means a run in '11/'12 when more contracts come off the books (Ryan, Overbay, ??) and loading up with a $125M payroll number - with a deeper FA crop - I might be OK with that. You know, building towards something at least.

In addition to the retainment of LaCava, I also dig the hiring of Mel Queen as a consultant of some kind. I've never heard or met the man, but imagine him as some kind Burgess Meredith like curmudgeon circa Rocky I yelling at Halladay "You're a bum Doc, a bum!" before completely rebuilding his delivery into the current Doc opposition batters have come to fear and loathe.

I think with all these consultants/advisors etc, you've got to think that AA will approach the draft in not so much of an either -or/categorical way that JP did, well at least initially.

I've never really understood the criticism of the new uniforms, while I admit that they aren't perfect, I think they are way better than any uniform the Jays have ever had. I'm talking a history of hideous uniforms.

As for Beeston, while his intentions are in the right place, I don't think he realizes how far this team is from seriously competing. Bringing Doc back is great, if the payroll really is going up to $150, because that will mean 50 million for Doc and Wells each year combined, and 100 million for the rest of the team.

After the 2008 season when the Wells contract didn't look so bad, and the Dodgers were having problems resigning Manny, as well as getting rid of Andrew Jones, I thought this was the perfect storm and they should have offer Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells to the Dodgers for Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp or Eithier, and Andrew Jones.

But that would have had to taken forsight amongst the teams management.

I was really hoping Pedro would get the win last night. The guy makes an off-hand acknowledgment that he got beat in 2004 and they yell "Who's you daddy?" like a bunch of autistic adults for the rest of his career?

It ain't clever. Oh, and nice to see Rudy still wearing the PD FD cap. You're out of politics now, asshole, you can stop milking it.

Tao I totally hear you about the disappointment with Carlos Garcia. I would put Erik Hanson as my biggest disappointment, but I had high hopes for Garcia to be one of those guys that no one had heard of, but he just sucked. That was one strange deal.